Inorganic polymers and compositions for improved 3D printing of larger scale ceramic materials and components

A sulfur-free, 3D printable, inorganic liquid polymer formulation for fabrication of bulk ceramic materials for use in electronics and high temperature applications consisting of a combination of:

• a) a liquid inorganic polymer resin selected from at least one of polymers with a Si—C backbone, a Si—Si backbone, or a Si—O backbone;
• b) a photo reactive unsaturated hydrocarbon group in an amount ranging from approximately 0.4 moles to approximately 0.6 moles per 100 grams of resin, wherein the photo reactive unsaturated hydrocarbon group is selected from at least one of vinyl, ethynyl, allyl, or propargyl;
• c) a photo initiator in an amount ranging from approximately 1.0 parts per hundred to approximately 4.0 parts per hundred of the total formulation;
• and
• d) a pigment, wherein the combination of the liquid inorganic polymer resin, the photo reactive unsaturated hydrocarbon, the photo initiator and the pigment forms a 3D printable liquid polymer mixture that is spread in a plurality of layers onto a resin tray of a Digital Light Processing Stereolithography (DPL/SLA) 3D printer with a build platform and an ultra violet light source for curing the plurality of layers of the 3D printable liquid polymer mixture to produce a cured 3D printed polymer part that is subsequently pyrolyzed to form a sulfur-free, crack-free, bulk 3D structure ceramic component with no more than 20% linear shrinkage and 25% mass loss.